Girls Can, Too

Girls Can, Too

Tony said: “Boys are better!

They can…
whack a ball,
ride a bike with one hand,
leap off a wall.”

I just listened
and when he was through,
I laughed and said:

“Oh, yeah! Well, girls can, too!”

Then I leaped off the wall
and rode away
With his 200 baseball cards
I won that day.

-Lee Bennett Hopkins
Poet, anthologist, and teacher

At camp, girls can, too. Unlike our poetic heroine, Rockbrook girls don’t have prove anything to anyone… they just can, too. They can…

Rope Swing girl at camp

Roll a kayak
Make a bracelet
Ride a horse
Climb a rock (with one hand)
Score a goal
Weave a basket
Plant a garden
Shoot a Rifle
Balance on a balance beam
Hike a trail
Build a Fire

Show the world, “Girls can, too.”

At Camp…

So many reasons why it’s this good, but do you realize that…

At Camp You Will Not…

1. Wear high heels
2. Feed a Monkey
3. Complain that the AC is making you cold
4. Eat caviar
5. Get stuck in traffic
6. Lay bricks
7. Shovel snow
8. Fall asleep in front of the television
9. Take an elevator
10. Window shop

Have the Time of Your Life
Have the time of your life!

At Camp You Will…

1. Sing at the top of your lungs
2. Wear silly costumes
3. Be someone’s hero
4. Smile brightly
5. Meet some of your very best friends
6. Soak up the sun
7. Learn from a child
8. Practice thankfulness
9. Laugh until you cry
10. Have the time of your life!

Raising Happiness

camp girl smiling on a horse

Christine Carter, author of Raising Happiness: 10 Simple Steps for More Joyful Kids and Happier Parents, recently spoke at a summer camp conference about cultivating an environment of happiness at camp. Camp plays a key role in teaching girls how to live a happy, fulfilled life. During her presentation, Carter illustrated three main ways camp grants girls the skills to embrace a life of happiness.

How to Raise More Joyful Kids

  1. Camp celebrates the role that failure plays in success.

    If a camper doesn’t quite make it to the top of our climbing tower or has trouble folding like a pretzel in yoga class (who doesn’t?) she learns that it’s ok. In fact, it’s better than ok- it’s great! Because camp operates under the mindset that girls grow and learn from mistakes and risk-taking, these so-called “failures” are praised at camp. They are marked as part of the learning process for our campers. So rather than a fixed mindset such as, “I can’t climb” or “I’m bad a Yoga”, our campers think “I’m so glad I didn’t give up!” while the look down at camp after making it all the way to the top.

  2. Camp creates a culture of gratitude.

    Gratitude is a social emotion, acknowledging something that is outside of oneself. Often times we focus so much on the cloudy skies that we never even notice that the sun is trying to peek out. For example, before camp, it’s easy to think something like, “Wow, my trunk is so heavy! What an annoyance!” Then suddenly, at camp, it’s “I am so glad I have a trunk, this is a great place to store things!” In an instant, a girl sees the value of the things in her life, and, more importantly, the people in her life. Camps helps girls realize, understand, and reflect on all the things they have to be thankful for.

  3. Camp models kindness.

    Camp broadens a girl’s “giving vocabulary.” Not only do girls reflect on what others did for them throughout the day, but they consider what they did for someone else. Girls leave camp with an understanding that kindness does not have to be a grand, over-the-top event every time it occurs. There are lots of little things we can do for one another every hour of every day.

So give three cheers, a thumbs up, and a high five for camp because it’s a great place to be! And the perfect place to help raise more joyful kids.

The Real Toy Story…

Each year a new toy falls into fashion. In 1952 Mr. Potato never had his head on straight. 1996 brought the Elmo Doll and his very ticklish tummy. Outer space hit Earth with the introduction of Furby in 1998. Barbie is the girl who has done it all since 1959. Koosh balls, Play-doh, Pogs, Cabbage Patch Kid Dolls, Raggedy Ann and Andy provide us with hours of entertainment. We love and play with them until their hair turns shabby and they’ve lost their malleability.  They take center stage in the imaginary worlds we create for them.

As we gain experience and maturity, toys slowly lose their luster. They’re pushed to the back of shelves and shoved into toy boxes to collect dust and make way for the next big thing that’s out on the market. Red yarn hair, hot pink clay, and a potato with a face don’t quite have the zip they once did in our lives, and so each each year a new toy falls out of fashion.

Summer camp, however, is an experience that never fades. The magic that we experience while in our haven in the woods follows us an entire lifetime. Dust bunnies never gather around our camp memories. Camp never makes way for the next big thing. It is the most precious gift we can give a child.

What are you giving your kids this holiday season?

Camps for Girls

You Have Got To Be Kidding!

Our campers are talented! We have pianists, jugglers, gymnasts, singers, and actresses! Girls who can rub their belly and pat their heads, touch their tongue to their nose, and hula hoop! Girls who can whistle, snap, and click their tongue.  Camp girls who make up hand-jives and dance ’til the cows come home!

Today, I feel honored to share one of my talents— when I was fifteen I wrote a few jokes of my own. Here’s a sampling— a giant list of corny jokes for kids —sure to impress all your friends!

Don’t worry; they’re 100% funny kid friendly!

Q: Why is Big Bird big, yellow, and feathery?

A: Because if he was small, yellow, and nuggety he would be a corn on the cob!

Q:What do you call a group a grizzlies cracking up together?

A: A BEARel of laughs!

Girl Campers Outside

Q: What do people who love to brag on themselves carry their papers in?

A: A GLOATbook!

Q: What is a UPS worker’s favorite sport?

A: Boxing!

Q: What type of chair goes to wild concerts?

A: A rocking chair!

Q: What vegetable do you eat when you want to be very fast?

A: Hustle sprouts!

Q: What’s a livestock’s favorite math tool?

A: A COWculator!

Q: What type of shoe stops up drains?

A: A clog!

Q: What type of chair is good at yoga?

A: A folding chair!

Q: What soothes a sick stomach and gives you neck support at night?

A: A PILL-ow

Q: What time is it when people are throwing pieces of bread at your head?

A: Time to DUCK!

Q: What is a builder’s favorite kind of paper?

A: Construction paper!

Q: When playing spades with The Donald, why did the dealer lose?

A: He handed Donald Trump!

Q: Why couldn’t the farmer find his way out of the corn field?

A: He was in the middle of a maize!

Q: Which medical professional likes to break things?

A: A DENTist!

Q: What do you call a cow who always takes your stuff?

A: A mooooocher!

Q: What MTV show do bass fishermen watch?

A: The Reel World!

Q: What do you call a wild dog that you can’t find?

A: A WHEREwolf!

Q: How would you describe the views a peppermint gets while looking at the Blue Ridge Mountains?

A: Breath Taking!

Q: How are reciprocals like gymnasts?

A: They flip!

Q: Who is Burt’s Bees wax’s roommate?

A: Ernie’s bees wax!

Q: What sport do people who listen to loud, deep music from their stereo play?

A: BASS Ball!

Q: Which island of the coast of Africa does Dale Ernhart Jr. like?

A: MadaNASCAR!

Q: What happened to the gun at work?

A: He got FIRED!

Q: What happened to the pottery at work?

A: He got fired!

Q: Why was the light bulb cold?

A: He was in the shade!

Q: What part of your body says one thing but does another?

A: A HIP-ocrit!

Q: Why do Grizzlies break their pencils?

A: They BEAR down too heard!

Q: What salad topping do you find at ACE hardware?

A: Wrench Dressing!

Q: What  happened when the master detective closed the door behind him?

A: He Sherlocked himself out!

Q: Why was the pig red?

A: He was out all day BACON in the sun!

Q: Which relative chimes at you every hour?

A: A Grandfather Clock!

Q: Why was the painter hot?

A: He put on an extra coat!

Q: What kind of hug straitens your teeth?

A: EmBRACES!

Q: What food preservation container is lost?

A: A TuperWHERE!

Q: What type of pirate testifies in court?

A: An “Aye” “Aye” Witness!

Q: Which two months are dishonest?

A: FIBruary and JuLIE

Q: Which four months are cold?

A: Septmebrrrrrrrr, Octobrrrrrrrr, Novembrrrrrrr, and Decemberrrrrrrrr!

Q: Which coloring utensil makes you tired?

A: A craYAWN!

Fairy Godmothers

It happens on a single fallen eyelash… when the clock strikes 11:11…with every dandelion seed whisked off by the wind… on a heads-up penny…. on a shooting star…. after those birthday candles have lost their flame- a wish is made. A secret desire thrown out to the world with no certainty that it will ever be granted.

Every year girls wish for a magical place that they can call home. A place where muffins are served up warm and sweet every morning. A place to wear silly costumes and to belly laugh. A place filled with a lake to swim and rocks to climb. A place to find their best friend.

They wish for a moment when they can just be themselves. A time when all they have to think about is being a girl, playing, and outdoor living. A time when they can start and end their day with a big, bright smile.

Unlike the wishes set to shooting stars or dandelions, these come true every summer at Rockbrook. Counselors become fairy godmothers and say, “your wish is granted.”

Explore. Dream. Discover.

Boat

Mark Twain poked at the nation a bit. He elbowed us and said, “Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” He encouraged us to get up and live!

As camp counselors we perfectly personify this assertion. Every summer we trade in air-conditioned rooms for mountain-chilled air, polished, made-up looks for muddy, natural complexions, and car wheels for cartwheels. We explore the splendor of the natural world. We dream of creating a world of beauty for our campers. We discover the sheer joy a child can bring to life.

Come June slow, sleepy mornings brought on by a sounding alarm clock transform into a rising bell, fresh fruit and songs sung between bites at breakfast. Hands normally busy texting and typing are suddenly paddling, french-braiding, and slipping snail mail into the post. We explore and desire the simple life. We dream in fairy parties and  jungle breakfasts. We discover what summer means to us.

As the days grow longer and the weather warmer, we no longer flip a switch to fade the lights, but watch on as the sun’s gentle pinks and oranges settle under the horizon as we welcome twilight’s lightening bugs with open arms. Time typically spent choosing the day’s outfit and honing a particular outward appearance is devoted to studying the inside of a person; the real beauty and essence of them. We explore the depth of a real friendship. We dream and strive to be the best role model we can be for our campers. We discover that we are capable of things we never imagined possible.

Twenty years from now look back on a life well lived.

Take our December Challenge

This week we sent out the second installment of our Rockbrook staff newsletter. Beyond including tricks of the trade (how to tell a proper joke- har har) and recipes for holiday treats (chocolaty brownies!), we coaxed our counselors to dive into the joys of the holiday season and take on a challenge that will keep their days merry and bright.

See if you can take on our December challenge.

Can you complete seven of the following tasks by the end of the month?

  • Treat a friend to a candy cane
  • Turn off your TV for the entirety of a week
  • Build a gingerbread house
  • Laugh so hard your stomach hurts
  • Skip
  • Play a board game
  • Roast a marshmallow
  • Look at old photo albums
  • Light a candle
  • Join a sports team
  • Dance
  • Try a new recipe
  • Pay for a stranger’s meal at a restaurant
  • Sing in the shower
  • Plant a flower indoors
  • Begin to learn a new language
  • Reconnect with an old friend
  • Learn a new skill

Holiday Fever All Summer Long

We’ve all experienced holiday fever. Our bodies feel warm and tingly, our cheeks turn rosy, our heart beats faster, and a slight shiver warms our spine. A holiday fever can be brought on by anything- snowflakes, hot chocolate, presents, tinsel, strung popcorn, twinkling lights, reindeer sweaters, holiday jingles, Yule log, greeting cards, carolers, chestnuts, or open fires (just to name a few.) In extreme cases, we catch this fever all month long.

holiday red and green cookies

Unfortunately, in our lives, January 1st becomes the cool washcloth which breaks our holiday fever. Upon entering the new year, our body temperature subsides and our cheeks pale. Joyfully cooking a holiday meal for family and friends makes way for our mad dashes to the grocery store where upon we return home, exhausted, and with barely enough energy to cook our recent purchases.  Snow is no longer the canvas which creates snowball fights and frosty angels, but an irksome condition that prohibits travel and turns into a brown, dirty slush which seeps into our boots and nips at our toes. Chestnuts take far too long to roast and open fires seem much too dangerous an endeavor. Come January, once charming and enchanting holiday tasks become everyday annoyances.

Camp holiday decorations

Luckily, there’s a medical breakthrough to combat all this. The doctor can write us a prescription to regain our fever (think of this as a reverse Rx.) Spend your summer at camp. If followed to doctor’s orders, the opportunity to work at camp is one of indescribable value. One dose and ordinary things reclaim their magic and our cheeks flush rosy once again. Peanut butter on apples, paddles on water, rain on roofs, mud on sneakers- all spectacular when you have “camp fever.” Camp gives us the best gift we could ask for-holiday cheer all summer long.